Lubricating method



Patented Aug. 19, 1941- LUBRICATING METHOD Thomas C. Delaval-Crow, or to General Motors Corporation, Detroihltflcla,

a corporation of Delaware Application April 20, 1938, Serial No. 203,126

(01. ISL-1) 2 Claims. This invention relates .to bearings and lubri cating methods therefor, and has particular application to bearings for tape tension pulleys as used in textile machinery.

An'obJect is to provide a permanently lubricated, sealed, antifriction bearing for a tape tension pulley. Another object is to provide an antifriction bearing which contains a non-fluid lubricant and which has a fluid lubricant feed for maintaining the non-fluid lubricant in soft, lubricating condition. 'A' further object is to provide an improved lubricating method for bearings. I

To these ends and also to improve generally upon devices of the character indicated, the invention consists in the various'matters hereinafter described and claimed. t

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig'ilre 1 is a parti-sectional view taken substantially along the line l--l of Figure 2 and showing a tape tension pulley and its mounting embodying one form of the invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1; and I Figure 3 is a view of the general character of Figure 1 and showing another embodiment.

Generally stated, in each of the illustrated em- Bristol, Coma,

in a peripheral race ring groove, substantially closes the open side of the pulley and prevents the accumulation of lint and other foreign materials within the pulley.

The outer end 82 of the race ring l3-is removably mounted in agrooved seat 84 extending across one side of the enlarged bracket portion 88, and an eye bolt 36 is provided with an eye 38 which surrounds the seated end 32 for movement in an arcuate recess 40 that opens into an intermediate portion of the seat 34, the threaded end 42 of the eye bolt extending through a bore 44 in the bracket portion 35 and being provided at its outer end with a nut 46. The hole through the eye 38 is sufficiently large to loosely receive the outer end 32 of the inner race ring l3, and

- when the nut 46 is tightened the eye 38 is shifted bodiments a pulley, such as the tape tension pulley I0, is mounted on the outer race ring ll of a sealed ball bearing l2 which contains a substantially non-fluid lubricant, such as a nonfiuid grease, the bearing being provided with anelongated inner race ring, as I3, removably fastened to a supporting bracket, as l4, which is mounted tfor adjustable movement in any well known manner to position the pulley, and a wick l5, mounted in a bore, as IS, in the inner race ring, is arranged to slowly feed small amounts of a fluid lubricant, such as oil, to the sealed lubricant chamber I8 in the bearing so that the non-fluid lubricant in the chamber l8 will not dry out and harden, but will always remain sufficiently soft to correctly lubricate the bearing and to prevent overheating of the bearing.

Referring tothe embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, a light, rigid pulley l0, preferably pressed to shape from sheet metal, has a closed side provided with an inwardly tapering wall 20 from which laterally extends an internal hub '22 mounted on-the outer race ring II which is held between the end hub flange 24 plate. 26 fastened to the wall 20 as A pressed metal, annular dust guard 28, mounted on the inner racering I3 and axially positioned by the bracket I4 and 'by a snap-ring 30 mounted and a cap-1 by welding.

into clamping engagement with a peripheral race ring groove 48 to removably clamp the race ring |3 in the seat 34 and to demountably support the pulley and bearing assembly in unit-handling relation on the bracket l4. A lock washer 45 on the eyebolt resists the tendency of the nut 48 to loosen.

The ends of the outer race ring II have the internally disposed peripheral grooves 82 and 54 which respectively and sealingly receive the curled over peripheral edge 58 of a circular end plate 58, and the seal 68, such as that shown in my United States Patent number 2,054,580, issued on September 15, 1936. A closure member 10, such as a pressed metal oil cup provided with a filling aperture 1 I, is fitted into the outer end of the bore l6 which extends longitudinally through the innerrace ring I 3, and the inner end 14 of the wearing I3 is spaced slightly from the end plate 58, Fluid lubricant fed through the aperture ll into the supply chamber 16, formed by the outer end closure member 10, will slowly permeate the wick l5, which preferably fills the inner end of the bore l6 and extends beyond the, inner end 14 of the race ring l3 rotatable-end plate 58, and will enter the cham-: ber J8 to mix with the. non-fluid lubricant to. prevent this non-fluid lubricant from drying out and hardening and to maintain the consistency of this non-fluid lubricant in the required, soft, lubricating condition for correctly lubricating and cooling the bearing II. The wiping action of the wick 15, against the plate 58 aids the distribution of the fluid lubricant, aperture II in the member iiiv is preferably located at such a height above the bottom of the supply chamber 16 as to .permit only a small of the bore l6 and the a into wiping contact with the,

and "the feeding amount of fluid lubricant in the chamber 18 at one time and to prevent feeding too much fluid lubricant into the bearing chamber l8.

In the embodiment illustrated by Figure 3 a two part pressed metal pulley 2l5, provided with a belt engaging flange 2l8, has opposed annular side walls 2H and H8 bent towards each other into abutting engagement intermediate their peripheries and then towards the pulley axis to provide a substantially radially disposed annular web 2 I9, the inner ends of these walls being bent laterally away from each other to form a central hub 222 which contains the outer race ring I I held in the hub by the bent over end flanges 223. The two parts of the pulley are generally similar in form except that one side of the flange 2H5 is bent over to form the side wall 2l1, while the other side of the flange 2l6 is peripherally curled back at 224 into overlying engagement with the wall 2"], the web portions of these walls being fastened together by struck-up portions 225 bent back through holes in the adjacent wall and into clamped engagement with the latter.

The bearing of Figure 3 is generally similar to the bearing shown in my Figure 1, but the seals 60 are mounted at both ends of the outer race ring H and the inner race ring 2I3 projects from both ends of the bearing, one end 250 being demountably fastened by a set screw 280 in an enlarged portion 254 of the bracket 2, and the other end 255 of the inner race ring 213 supporting a guard 256 removably held in position by a set screw 251. The bracket 2l4 is suitably supported in any well known manner for adjustably positioning the pulley 2I5, and like the guard 256 has a dust guard flange 258 extending into the pulley at one side of the web 2!!! to prevent the entrance of lint and other foreign materials into the pulley. A closure member 10, such as a pressed metal oil cup, is fltted into the outer end of the bore 212, which partially extends through the inner race ring 2I3, and a transverse passage 213 in the race ring 2l3 connects this bore 212 with the bearing chamber 214 which contains a non-fluid lubricant, the wick I5 being preferably located at the inner end of the bore 212 to control the flow of a fluid lubricant from the supply chamber 216 to the bearing chamber 214 for maintaining the non-fluid lubricant in a correct lubricating condition within the bearing.

I claim:

1. The method of lubricating which consists in employing a non-fluid lubricant, and supplying a solvent fluid lubricant thereto; substantially as described.

2. The method of lubricating which consists in providing a non-fluid grease, and intermittently and slowly feeding small quantities of a solvent fluid oil lubricant thereto to maintain said grease in a soft lubricating condition; substantially as described.

THOMAS C. DELAVAL-CROW. 

